A leading scientist has predicted that mice will continue to breed in astronomical numbers as they thrive in favorable living conditions. This is bad news for beleaguered farmers across Australia.
Farmers in north NSW and south Queensland have suffered rodent infestations in recent months, which have destroyed large numbers of herds.
And while the numbers will finally fall this winter, Steve Henry, a longtime research fellow at CSIRO, has warned mice that in the long run, crops across the country will continue to grow wild.
“Mice need a constant source of food, conditions in which they can comfortably survive and the ability to reproduce,” the veteran mouse researcher from Canberra told Daily Mail Australia.
Farmers across Australia have collected dozens of rodents (pictured above) that have devastated the herd
Some plants were completely destroyed (see picture above) after being invaded by thousands of rodents
“We have just had a relatively cool summer (in Australia) with mostly even rains, and autumn has also proven to be good for the mice.
“You can start breeding at six weeks. If the conditions are right, the numbers can be sizeable … and I think it will be for the next 12 months.”
Mr Henry spent the pre-Easter period in parts of northern NSW suggesting remedial action to a number of affected farmers to reduce the effects of unwanted rodents.
“I stressed the importance of spreading bait at every opportunity,” he said.
“You can’t leave leftover food lying around … all farmers have to be hardworking if they want their crops to flourish.
“For some, the damage has already occurred in some (summer) stocks. They have to take measures to avoid further problems on the route.”
It comes after footage of thousands of mice running amok on a property on the east coast of Australia.
And last month, medic discovered Louise Hennessy nearby too A dozen rodents died in a tank belonging to a rural dweller who supplies the locals with drinking water.
She discovered the “terrible” sight in Elong Elong in central-west New South Wales, where mice have repeatedly ravaged crops.
Ms. Hennessey posted a picture of the dead mice and lumps of fur tangled in the filter on social media as health officials urged residents to take precautions to protect themselves from the potentially deadly disease, leptospirosis.
The disease is transmitted from animals to humans through bacteria found in infected animal urines and tissues. It is most commonly reported in Australia when the country is hit by a mouse plague.
This inventory (pictured above) was rendered unusable after thousands of rodents were recently discovered on a farm on the east coast of Australia
Louise Hennessy, a resident of Elong Elong in central west New South Wales, posted this photo on social media of dead mice in the filter of her tank that supplies the drinking water for her property
Ms. Hennessy warned other residents on social media not to clean their water tank filters regularly
Ms. Hennessy, a paramedic for 23 years, said while it takes “a lot” to squeeze her, the confrontational sight of dead mice and the “stench” of decomposing rodents was almost too much to handle.
“It was nerve-wracking and terrible,” she said.
Ms. Hennessy revealed on Facebook how the dead mice were found after heavy rain and urged residents to check their water tank filters regularly.
“I cleaned this a week ago and took out a handful of mouse fur that was clumped together. Please check and clean your tank filters. Be sure, everyone, ”she wrote.
She turned to NSW Health for help. She then advised her on disinfecting the tank to make sure the water is safe for the family.
Hunter New England Public Health recently warned residents of leptospirosis after an increase in rats and mice due to the wet summer weather.
Hundreds of mice have been trapped on property in Orange, also in central west New South Wales
“While leptospirosis is a relatively rare condition in Australia, most cases are reported from rural and regional areas, often due to mouse infestations,” said HNEPH doctor Dr. David Durrheim.
Outbreaks of the disease usually occur when exposed to water, soil, and mud contaminated with infected animal urine, particularly rodent urine. The bacteria can enter the body through cuts or abrasions, the lining of the mouth, nose, and eyes – and in rare cases through contaminated food and water. ‘
HOW TO AVOID LEPTOSPIROSE
Infection can be avoided by:
– Washing hands with soap
– Cover cuts and abrasions with waterproof bandages
– Wearing shoes outdoors, especially when walking in mud or damp floors, and wearing gloves in the garden
– Eliminate garbage and remove rubbish near the cabinet
– Avoidance of contact with water (including floods) when there is a possibility of contamination with animal urine
Source: Hunter New England Public Health
Symptoms usually develop within five to 14 days and include fever, severe headache, sore muscles, chills, vomiting, and red eyes.
“Some people may need to be hospitalized if they have kidney failure, jaundice, bleeding of the skin and mucous membranes, meningitis, or bleeding from the lungs,” said Dr. Durrheim.
NSW Health also warns that severe leptospirosis can sometimes be fatal.
A shocking video also appeared recently showing thousands of rodents swarming over crops and highways in New South Wales.
In Coonamble, about two hours north of Dubbo in central west New South Wales, resident Anne Cullen said that mice weren’t running around town until March – and she even woke up one morning with a rodent in her hair.
‘It’s awful. It’s incredible. I came home after a couple of nights when I was in Dubbo with my daughter and went inside. There were just mice walking everywhere, ”she told the Today show.
‘You ate my clothes. They got into my closet. There are holes in the couches. You eat everything. ‘
To reduce their increasing numbers, Ms. Cullen repeatedly throws $ 250 worth of rodent venom around her scales and sets up water traps before the mice emerge in the evening.
The plague of mice widespread in Coonamble in central west New South Wales (pictured)
Dead mice are seen on property in Coonamble in central west New South Wales on Tuesday, February 2, 2021
She said farmers in town were being forced to burn grain that was not safely stored in silos because of contamination.
‘The hay is a worry. Apparently the mouse feces and urine are consistently very harmful. It can make cattle sick. It could be ruined.
The mice breed very quickly, with the females having up to 10 pups every month and a half, and the dramatic increase in numbers is believed to be caused by a good harvest season, Ms. Cullen said.
She said the smell of dead mice now hangs over the city, but the only way to keep their numbers down is to keep poisoning them.
Hay cultures were contaminated by the mouse plaugue (left), their burrows being visible in the haystack (right).
After all, the locals are confident that once their food source dwindles the mice will retreat, but before that they will clean up some of the mess by chewing on their fallen comrades.
In early February, Ben Storer filmed a wave of mice as he drove through them in a family ute Farm in Warren in central north New South Wales.
The video showed mice running in all directions, surrounding an empty grain shed, and crawling over a surface drill.
Mr Storer’s wife, Tanya, said “everything is affected” by the mouse plague that hit her family farm after the last harvest in November 2020.
“It’s terrible, everything is affected because they’re in the closets, there are dead mice everywhere,” Ms. Storer told Daily Mail Australia.
“You’re in the car eating up the car seat. I had to throw away my microwave, coffee maker, and blender because they get into everything. ‘
In early February, Ben Storer filmed the mice driving through the Horde in a ute on his family farm in Warren in central north New South Wales (pictured).
The Storer family grow sorghum to sell and feed their cattle, but mice ate it, which financially hurt them “very much”.
‘D.There wasn’t much during the harvest, but they are gradually building up and now there is some plague in it, ”she said.
“We planted a full crop of sorghum and they wiped that out.
“If the mouse plague continues, we won’t be able to plant crops because they’ll just dig them up.”
After months of drought, Ms. Storer said mouse plague was the last thing the struggling farmers needed.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/XEJMC7PTY5G3RPB4XX5AUY6Q3I.jpg "Different rodents that purport to ‘predict’ climate")
